English 2- Study Sync Notes #1

Arguments and Claims

  • Argument- A point of view supported by reason

  • Arguments begin with claims

- Claims are the main idea or thesis of the argument. They are supported by reasons and evidence

  • Writers can use rhetorical appeals to make their arguments persuasive. These include:

  • logos (from the Greek root that means “logic”): an appeal to logic made by  offering reasonable and sound evidence to support an argument.

  • pathos (from the Greek root that means “pity or sympathy”): an appeal to emotion.

  • ethos (from the Greek root that means “morals”): an appeal to ethics made by establishing  credibility and trust.

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  • Evidence could before claim

  • Conclusion- The ending sum of arguments that urges readers to follow through with writers POV.

Arguments and claims checklist

  • Look at title, intro and conclusion to find claim
  • Look at rhetorical appeals and evidence used to prove claim
  • Some paragraphs could have reasons but not evidence

-To identify the intended audience or reader, note the following:

  •   any words of direct address to an audience or reader
  • the use of formal or informal language
  • the use of technical or other domain-specific language

Rhetoric

  • Rhetoric- The art of speaking and writing persuasively

  • Rhetorical Device- specific techniques that writers and speakers use to make their arguments more persuasive.

  • Overstatement- Something that sounds more profound than it actually is, making the point more important or more beautiful.

  • Rhetorical Appeals- 3 elements of persuasion defined by Aristotle (See Above)

  • Antithesis is a rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a conflicting effect.

  • Example: Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first words on the moon: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

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  • Parallelism means using a similar form to create a definite pattern.

  • Example: Ronald Reagan’s speech after the space shuttle Challenger tragedy in 1986, in which he repeats the word more to show the nation’s resolve: “There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space.”

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  • When speakers or writers suddenly alter their tone or style in a piece, they are making a rhetorical shift. This might be accompanied by a change in focus, or a move from one point of view to another, using conjunctions such as “but” or “however.”

  • Example: From Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives ….But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.”

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